


Sharing room, sharing life

by SarkaS



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Don’t copy to another site, Genji has no time for your cowardice Hanzo go talk feelings like the adult you are suppose to be, Getting Together, Hanzo is his usual guilt-ridden self but he's trying okay?, Jesse is precious and I want him to be my best friend too, M/M, Oh my god they were roommates!, Peapod McHanzo Week, supportive little brother Genji Shimada
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-03
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-10-03 08:02:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17280188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SarkaS/pseuds/SarkaS
Summary: My take on day 1 prompt: Oh My God They Were Roommates!The Watchpoint is not up to snuff just yet and the places where new agents can bunk are limited. Jesse McCree is willing to share his space with the newest addition, Genji's older brother Hanzo. Hanzo is not pleased about the news but he may just change his mind.





	Sharing room, sharing life

“That is…”

“It does not come close to the luxuries usually reserved for the Shimada  _ oyabun _ , I know.”

Those words spoken in the voice of his brother were enough to squash any and all reservations Hanzo could have. Instead, he gave a shallow bow to his brother. 

“This is more than enough.” And then like an afterthought. “Thank you.”

For a moment he foolishly thought that would be it but then his brother let out a mechanically sounding sigh. 

“It is not a permanent arrangement, brother. The cleanup and reconstruction go slow as we cannot hire anyone but with another pair of hands it will go that much faster.”

Hanzo made sure his face did not betray even the slightest shadow of his thought on that matter. 

He swore allegiance to his brother’s cause, knowing it will come with its difficulties. It is only fitting, after all. He might not have expected one of those would be sharing a room with a virtual stranger but he will manage. 

“It is alright, Genji. I have grown unused to the luxuries you speak of in the past years regardless.”

The silence following nearly made him wince. How foolish. He had no right to compare his past years of discomfort to whatever Genji had gone through. 

Cold, metallic fingers touched his shoulder; the temperature difference startling even through the silk kyudo-gi. He managed not to flinch away from it, though he couldn’t stop his muscles from tensing. 

“I promise, brother, this is temporary. I do not wish you to be uncomfortable here. I hope we can rebuild. In more ways than one,” he added with an amused kilt to his distorted voice that was so very much  _ Genji _ Hanzo’s throat tightened at the influx of emotion. 

 

After that, Genji left him to his own devices. Hanzo made his way to the unoccupied side of the room, testing the bed and mattress while taking the rest of the room in. 

It was certainly lived in, though not in the usual sort of way. There were barely any personal objects Hanzo noticed. The bed had clear sights of use and there were clothes at the foot of it but there was hardly anything that would tell Hanzo more about his roommate. No pictures, no trinkets, nothing. And there was an unpacked bag under the bed, very much mirroring where Hanzo pushed his own bag under  _ his  _ new bed. 

In a way, those were some hints at least. The man was probably drifter like himself nowadays. And he knew it was a man because Genji told him as much. That and a name. Jesse McCree. Genji said they were friends from the old days. Also that the man agreed to share a room with Hanzo. 

That could go many ways. But Hanzo trusted Genji and his brother seemed to have full confidence in the arrangement. 

Hanzo took in a deep calming breath through his nose… and immediately scrunched it up in displeasure. 

And he was a smoker. Delightful. 

 

Surprisingly, he did not meet one Jesse McCree until after the evening meal was done with and he retreated back into his-  _ their _ room. 

He walked in just as a plain tan shirt was half up an impressive expanse of tanned and heavily scarred back. With quite the pleasing muscle definition. 

“Ah.” Hanzo let out eloquently just as the man turned around, his brown hair tousled as he finished pulling the shirt off in a hurry. Hanzo politely turned his gaze away but not before his brain managed to categorize several even more pleasing details; the slightly staggering amount of chest hair among them. “I apologize. I did not mean to barge in on you like that.”

There was a noise of recognition, quickly followed by a chuckle. 

“Nah, is fine, pardner. Ya must be Genji’s brother, nice to finally meet ya.” 

At that Hanzo’s gaze snapped back to the man expecting a mocking expression going with that sentence but receiving instead a broad smile and a hand thrust in his direction. It took him embarrassingly long to shake it but McCree patiently waited for him to gather his bearings. 

“It is nice to meet you as well, Mr. McCree.”

A deep chuckle that very nearly sent shivers down Hanzo’s spine.

“McCree is fine. Or Jesse. I don’t dwell on that mister stuff much. Been an outlaw far too long for that.” There was something in McCree’s expression, hidden behind the happy exterior, that Hanzo felt keenly in himself despite not being willing to name it.  

That was enough for Hanzo to make a decision. 

“You may call me Hanzo. Thank you for sharing your space with me.” He bowed to McCree very slightly. More of a hint than anything but clearly enough to fluster the man. 

“Um, think nothing of it, really. I think we’ll get on just fine.” 

His grin was dazzling.

 

And get on fine they did indeed. Hanzo joined the organization with a single goal in his mind; to earn Genji’s forgiveness. In his mind, he could not be forgiven so easily, no matter what Genji had said. There was much to atone for.

But as the days went on, he found himself more often than not in the company of the resident gunslinger. And he discovered he did not mind. The man was friendly and talkative but he could respect Hanzo’s need for silence. He had no inkling how the man did it but not once had to Hanzo ask for space or quiet. 

It was after he brought the subject up with Genji that his brother told him McCree’s ability to ‘read the room’ was uncanny. Almost infamous, especially when it came to his commanding officers as he knew exactly how far he could push before he got into real trouble. Hanzo understood why McCree and Genji grew so close in the past despite their troubled pasts, they both were of the rebellious sort when it came to authority. 

He knew about McCree’s past partly from his brother, partly from the man himself. He did not shy from talking about his days at in the old Overwatch, he hinted at his life in Blackwatch, and more often than not made fun of his days in Deadlock. Very much in the way Genji nowadays made fun of his life with the Clan. That told Hanzo enough and he did not pry for more than the gunslinger was willing to share. And he  _ did _ find his stories amusing. It was no hardship to let McCree steer the conversation in that way.

The companionship was something he came to treasure much faster than he would ever guess possible. It could have been in part thanks to the ten years of loneliness but he believed it to be McCree’s nonjudgmental attitude more than anything else. 

As much as he later felt guilty for it, there were moments where McCree could make him forget, for just a short while, his past mistakes and the pain stemming from them. 

McCree even helped him understand the new Genji a bit more. And going so far as to play an intermediary for them to ease the atmosphere. It pleased Hanzo to realize they had less need of him as of late. It hurt less to hear the mechanical buzz of his brother’s laughter and warmed him more to be the one who prompted the laugh. 

When he and McCree were drinking at cliffside as they were prone to do sometimes and he turned to the gunslinger with thanks, the man did not just wave it off as something unimportant, instead, he smiled and said: “I’m glad. Ya both deserve some more happiness in yer lives in my opinion.”

And Hanzo found it easy to return the smile.

 

Hanzo woke up choking on a scream. When he opened his eyes the room was dark and it did nothing to dispel the image of his brother’s body hitting the floor, his screams still resonating through the dojo of the Shimada castle. 

He turned his face into the pillow just to muffle any sounds escaping from between his tightly pressed lips. Hanzo shivered as the sweat on his body cooled down in the climatized room. 

Why is he here? What is he even trying to achieve?

What could he ever do to earn forgiveness for such a heinous crime? How could Genji forgive him for _ that _ ?

His mind swirled with the images of blood and steel and green hair until his stomach clenched in a wave of nausea. He lifted he his head from the pillow to breath more easily in an attempt to calm it down when the soft humming reached his ears. 

Hanzo extremely slowly turned his face towards the other bed where he hoped McCree was still soundly sleeping. He couldn’t see much but he could recognize the silhouette of the man, lying on his back, one knee bent and the left prosthetic arm lying over his eyes. 

The gunslinger hummed so quietly it wouldn’t wake Hanzo on itself but now that he was awake he could recognize a familiar melody in it, thought the name of the song eluded him. 

He barely noticed his own breathing calming down as he listened, still lying on his belly, half of the face pressed into the slightly damp pillow. 

And he did not notice at all when his eyes closed and his mind quieted down enough for him to drift back into sleep. 

 

They have not spoken about that night. Or any of the nights that followed. Hanzo was not sure if McCree even knew he had an avid listener now or if he pretended to not know for sake of both their dignities. Either way, they did not breach the subject of nightmares despite the fact both of them suffered from them heavily. 

Surprisingly, it was their work that brought first big argument into what was nearly idyllic cohabitation. 

“You are being unreasonable, brother.” Genji sighed from where he was sitting next to him on the roof of the building C. They had an unmarred view of the sea from there, the mid-morning sun making it glitter like a field of sapphires. 

Hanzo breathed in the salty air, letting it out through his mouth in an attempt to calm clear his mind. Something that his brother was attempting to thwart.

“I do not believe I am.” 

His brother huffed, the sound grating. “I know you do not believe you are. That does not make it any less true. I am sure Jesse is not being any less unreasonable though, so I guess I can’t blame you fully for this.”

Hanzo cocked his eyebrow at him as he detangled that sentence. They got into a habit of foregoing Japanese in favor of English but sometimes it got away from them. For both they sakes Hanzo decided to switch to their mother tongue. 

“He willfully endangered himself and with it anyone who left their positions in an attempt to help him. And he had the gall to laugh it off as if it was of no consequence.”

“That’s just how Jesse is!” Genji threw his hands into the air in a dramatic gesture. “He’s all flair and brash deeds but he does know what he’s doing, Hanzo. And his plan worked! You should not have scolded him like a child in front of everyone.” Hanzo felt a pang of guilt at that. Belatedly he realized that was not a good decision on his part but at that moment, after he watched the gunslinger waltz in the middle of an open field to lure out the enemy sniper, Hanzo was too furious to stop and think. And so he unloaded all his fear disguised as fury onto McCree in front of everyone. And then McCree’s wounded pride took care of the rest. 

Now Hanzo was imposing on his brother in a room with a single bed simply because there was no room for two. And at that a bed that was not intended to be shared by two grown men. He was aware that even the bags under his eyes had bags, for he has not been able to sleep for four nights, partly from the conditions and partly because his nightmares got worse now that there was no one who would soothe him back to sleep. And didn’t that sting his own pride, to realize he needed to be sung to sleep like a babe. 

“Hanzo, come on. This is not so terrible,” ‘not as terrible as other things you’ve done’ Hanzo’s mind supplied, “it couldn’t be fixed with an apology.” 

And that was it, wasn’t it. Hanzo could go and apologize and it could all be alright. Or he would apologize and learn it fixes nothing and he had ruined the one good thing he had in his life besides Genji. It was better to sit here, not knowing. If he didn’t try, he couldn’t lose.

Genji next to him sighed, again. “You know, never before I believed you to be a coward, brother. Not even back then.” 

Hanzo flinched, the words stinging worse than anything the Elders ever threw at him. He stared at Genji as his brother got to his feet, disappointment radiating from his posture. He patted Hanzo on the shoulder. 

“It is okay, Hanzo. You are just a human after all.” With that as his parting words, he scaled the building down, leaving Hanzo to gape at the empty spot where Genji had been standing. 

 

Knocking at the door of his own room felt surreal in a way but it did nothing to alleviate Hanzo’s nervousness. 

He could not let Genji’s words stand uncontested. He would not tolerate being called a coward. No matter who says it. It took him two hours to decide on a plan. In the end, he chose to confront McCree in their room, there was enough public baring done for both of them. If necessary he can make his apology public later, should McCree chose it to be so. 

The door opened to an exhausted looking gunslinger with dulled brown eyes and a shaggy beard. Yet Hanzo had to suppress a gasp as their eyes met. It was a while since that happened, McCree avoided his eyes every single time their paths crossed this past week. 

McCree seemed to perk up, before immediately stiffening. Hanzo’s heart sank. 

“Hi,” McCree broke the silence between them first. 

“Hello,” Hanzo replied, silently chastising himself for making McCree speak first. They were still standing there, looking at each other and Hanzo was beginning to lose whatever courage his spite bestowed him. “May I come in?”

McCree started at that, looking behind him before stepping aside, his left hand on the back of his neck. “Of course, sorry. I mean, it’s your room, too.”

Hanzo gave a nod of gratitude and stepped in, letting McCree close the door behind them. 

The room was very much like he remembered it. His bed still made from the morning before the mission. Except there were four of his arrows on the comforter now. He must have made a sound of some sort because McCree hurried to explain.

“I- yeah, I found those on the range. Thought you might want to have them back. Probably should have put them in the armory, ‘s stupid. Sorry.” 

He went to grab them, then stopped, and awkwardly took two steps back again, making more space in between them. 

Hanzo felt like the awkward tension is going to choke him and huffed. “This is ridiculous.” 

He turned before McCree could say anything else, already talking as he did so. “I have come to apologize. I should not have said what I said. And certainly not in front of everyone. I am sorry I lost my composure so… epically.” He winced a little at the word. It sounded rather Genji-like, probably betraying Genji’s involvement in the current situation, making him look even more inept at human interaction than his usual behavior did. 

When he looked to McCree’s face he could see the corner of his mouth twitch and it stung. But then the man’s expression morphed into a solemn one and he took a step closer. 

“I’m sorry, too.” 

Hanzo opened his mouth to protest but McCree steamrolled over anything he might have said. 

“No, I am, Hanzo. I know I can be rash and how it looks, and you didn’t know that and I could have told ya, and them, what my plan was. That’s on me. I’ll try to do better next time, alright? I won’t change, too old fer that, but I’ll try. For you.”

Hanzo blinked several times in astonishment. He… had not expected that. None of that.

“I-” He was at a loss as what to say. McCree huffed and embarrassed laugh. 

“That didn’t- eh. I won’t lie I was right pissed at you scolding me like some newbie but I thought about it and talked about it. And was talked at about it quite a lot, too. And I think I get it. I just- I don’t want to lose ya but if you want, I can switch with Genji.”

“Switch- what?” 

McCree’s smile was rueful. “Rooms. So you two could bunk together. Probably should have done that at the beginning but I didn’t think of it and he hadn’t asked.”

Hanzo stared. McCree wished to move out? Switch with Genji? 

“Please do not do that, we would end up killing each other,” he blurted, then immediately winced. But McCree laughed. 

“No, ya wouldn’t. But thanks. For not wanting to, I mean,” he was palming the back of his neck again and Hanzo thought he could see his cheeks color. But that couldn’t be right. 

“I do not wish for another roommate,” was what he said next. “I had thought you might but maybe not?” He asked, not fully able to keep the hopefulness out of his tone.

The man shook his head rather wildly. “Nope, don’t want that either. Yer stuck with me.” He grinned and this time Hanzo let himself smile back. 

“I am sorry, though. I should have come sooner to apologize but-” he paused, deciding to say thing outright this time. “You are able to make your own decisions, albeit rash and endangering sometimes.” McCree shrugged with a boyish grin on his lips and Hanzo rolled his eyes, then continued. “I want you to know my words did not come from anger as much as they came from fear.” A deep breath. Not a coward. “You have become quite important to me, Jesse McCree. And the thought of losing you influenced my actions and words that day more than it should have.” 

McCree’s eyes were now wide as he stared at Hanzo but before he could start to worry the gunslinger’s face bloomed into a wide smile. The next moment he was hugging Hanzo who stiffened at the sudden invasion of his personal space before slightly relaxing into it. 

“I’m so sorry, Han. We were arguing and then you didn't come back and, damn, I was so afraid I drove you off with the stupid stuff I said.”

“You did not,” was all Hanzo thought to say as he reached around McCree and put his hands on the shirt-clad back. With a little internal start, he realized it was the same shirt the man had worn the first evening they met. 

“Yeah, but what I’m tryin’ to say is that I care about you too, Hanzo. And the thought of losing you was driving me half mad.” 

Whatever power held Hanzo firmly upright this whole time decided at that moment to give up and he sunk into the embrace, his body molding itself to McCree’s. 

“I will stay as long as you will have me, Jesse.”

The noise that came from the gunslinger was half laugh, half sob. He pulled back from Hanzo, his smile blinding. “You shouldn’t say that ‘cause that just might be forever, darlin’.” 

Hanzo’s heart skipped a beat at that. As many times as McCree used that particular endearment, it never sounded quite like  _ that _ . It never before gave Hanzo hope.

“I think we can discuss that later, for now, you look like I feel. We should go to sleep. I am excited about not having to share a bed with my brother anymore.”

They had time. This thing, whatever it is, does not have to be rushed. They can take their time exploring it and enjoy it. 

“Wiser words, darlin’,” McCree smiled down at him before stepping out of the embrace. Hanzo did not even feel the loss too keenly as the warmth of McCree’s body lingered on his skin. 

It was later when they were both in their beds when Hanzo dared to ask for what he wanted. 

“Jesse?” The gunslinger hummed. “Would you sing to me?” 

There was a beat of silence that stretched as the seconds ticked by before a soft hum sounded through the room and Hanzo let his eyes slip shut with a contented sigh. 

His sleep may not be filled with only pleasant dreams in the future but he knew that his waking hours will more than make up for it. With that thought, he drifted into a dreamless sleep. 


End file.
